Album Review | Tyler The Creator – Flower Boy

This album was released on July 21st. I’ve heard a shit ton of good things about this album. A lot of people are saying it’s one of the best albums of the year. I’m gonna be honest; Tyler The Creator’s fans annoy the shit outta me for some reason. I think it’s because they’re so… I don’t know. They treat him like the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord & Savior. I think I mentioned my aversion to his fanbase earlier in this marathon. It was probably my Bastard review. Despite my disgust for his clientele, I feel comfortable calling myself a fan. He was one of my favorite rappers when I was first getting into Hip Hop. I mentioned all this shit in my Bastard review. I don’t know why I’m saying it again. I think I’m gonna love this album. Part of me wants to hate it just to piss his other fans off, but I love a lot of his earlier shit, and I really enjoyed the first two singles from this album as well. The entire album is self produced.

Track 1: Foreward Feat. Rex Orange County

Alright, the first thing I’m noticing… It’s mixed properly. Thank God. Lmao. I wasn’t really expecting the mixing to be as shitty as it was on Cherry Bomb, and if it was I’m sure I would’ve heard about it by now. The beat is cool. The main themes of this album are depression & loneliness, so I’m gonna love this shit. Woah. Goddamn. That guitar he incorporated in this beat sounds fuckin’ gorgeous. The first verse was nice. This Rex Orange County guy sounds pretty good singing the bridge. Man, this production is fantastic. I love the way the beat evolved during the second verse. The song just ended. This is a really great track. The production was fantastic, the verses were good, and I liked the featured vocals from this Rex Orange County dude too. I fuck with this.

Track 2: Where This Flower Blooms Feat. Frank Ocean

Oooh fucking shit… Jesus… Okay, it’s fucking insane how much Tyler’s production has improved. It’s unbelievable honestly. Listen to French and then listen to this song. Both of those songs were produced by the same fucking person. That’s crazy. This beat is fucking amazing. The first verse from Tyler was cool. Oh fucking shit. Frank’s singing the hook. God, this shit is so good sonically. Oh my fuck. This hook is so dope. I can’t get over how fuckin’ immaculate the production is. Tyler put his ASS into this beat. The second verse was great. His flow was awesome on that final verse too. This song is amazing. This is even better than the first track. BRUUUUH. Lmao. This production is orgasm inducing. I definitely fuck with this shit. It’s dope af.

Track 3: Sometimes…

This track is less than 40 seconds long, so it’s probably just an interlude. Good lord. AGAIN… THE PRODUCTION IS HEAVENLY. Okay, I just listened to this track. It’s a skit in which the host of Golf Radio—Shane Powers—asks this boy what song he wants to hear, and the boy is like, “the one about me.” So the next track is obviously gonna be the highly discussed song in which Tyler comes out.

Track 4: See You Again Feat. Kali Uchis

Woah… What the FUCK? Is that Tyler singing? Whaaat… This motherfucker is really singing. He tried singing a little bit on his previous album, but he actually sounds decent here. It was kinda hard to tolerate on Cherry Bomb, but this shit sounds good. Man… It’s honestly absurd how much Tyler has improved as an artist in such a short amount of time. He’s shown improvement in certain areas with each of his releases, but it’s never been this drastic. This is crazy. Ha. That reference to the “look both ways when you cross my mind” line from George Clinton on To Pimp a Butterfly was cool. Holy… mother of… fuck… Kali Uchis’ vocals on this hook are fucking angelic. Good lord… Woooaaah… What the hell… God… This beat is amazing. I love how dynamic all the production on this album is. It sounds like a fucking orchestra. It almost seems like it could all be one track that just goes in a bunch of different directions. Almost like a movie score. The first verse was great. Tyler’s always been really good at capturing the mixed emotions and confusion that comes with falling in love in his music. The song just ended. Man… This album is beautiful so far. I think it’s corny when people use that word to describe anything that isn’t a living organism, but it’s the best way to explain this album’s sound. It just sounds gorgeous. The production is so lush and pretty sounding. Anyway, I love this song. This shit is dope af.

Track 5: Who Dat Boy? Feat. A$AP Rocky

This was the first single released for this album. It’s really good. I love the dark, trap influenced beat; it sounds like it samples a horror movie’s theme song. I love the way it builds up to the first verse. The first 55 seconds of the song is spent establishing the instrumental. Then Tyler comes in and kills that first verse. It’s definitely one of the better verses on the album so far. The hook is really catchy, and Rocky had a great verse as well. His flow was really nice. Apparently ScHoolboy Q was supposed to be on this track, but he turned it down because he wasn’t feelin’ the beat.

Q fucked up. He would’ve sounded really great on this beat. Hopefully they’ll do a remix at some point. Or Danny Brown. He would sound really good on it too. Actually, both of them should get on the remix. That’d be a dream come true. Meechy Darko would be good too. Anyway, the final verse in which they both rapped together was my favorite verse on the whole song. I have no problems with this track. It’s dope af.

Track 6: Pothole Feat. Jaden Smith

I’m gonna be honest… I haven’t worked on this review in a long time because I can’t stop listening to See You Again. I’ve literally wasted hours just listening to that song doing nothing. That shit is amazing. I’m forcing myself to move on to the next track now tho. Oh shit. Jesus fucking Christ. It’s fucking bizarre how much Tyler has improved as a producer. This beat is amazing. Tyler’s using the act of driving as an extended metaphor for success. So far he’s talking about how he tried to help some people reach higher levels of success, but they weren’t willing to help themselves. I wonder if he’s talking about Odd Future. Oh man…

I also got power for both of us if you’re ever in need of a jump / Just let me know, my nigga.

I hope he’s talking about Earl. I want them to work with each other again. I don’t really feel like Earl needs help, but that’s from an outsider’s perspective. He clearly wasn’t doing well emotionally when he dropped his last album, so I don’t know. The hook from Jaden Smith is cool. It’s not something that Tyler couldn’t have done himself tho. The second verse is dope af.

Everyone is a sheep; me? A lone wolf / Nobody gon’ make a peep ’cause everyone wants some wool / Since everyone is a sheep, not everyone here is cool / Man I’d rather drown in a pool by myself than fuck with their fleece.

The outro for this song is really nice too. This is another fantastic track that I don’t have any problems with. This is dope af.

Track 7: Garden Shed Feat. Estelle

Oooohh fucking… Goodness… The proDUCtion…

Good lord. I haven’t reacted to a song like this ever since I reviewed DAMN. Tyler is blowing me the fuck away right now. I never thought he’d reach this level as a producer. I liked his production on other albums, but a lot of those songs had other co-producers. He singlehandedly put together one of the best produced albums of the year. This is incredible. Jesus. I also can’t believe how fucking good Tyler sounds singing right now. If you’ve EVER heard Tyler open his mouth, you know he doesn’t have a singer’s voice. He sounds really fuckin’ good here tho. Estelle’s vocals are fantastic too. Tyler doesn’t actually start rapping until the last quarter of the track. The majority of the track is spent by Tyler & Estelle singing together and building up to the verse. Okay, I guess this is actually the song Tyler uses to come out. The “garden shed” is basically “the closet” in which Tyler was hiding.

Truth is, since a youth kid, thought it was a phase / Thought it’d be like the phrase; “poof, gone,” / But it’s still goin’ on.

His flow is great. It just ended. Man… This album is even better than I thought it’d be. At this rate it just may end up being my album of the year. I don’t wanna speak too soon tho. Jesus that’ll be so tragic if it ends up falling off at some point. Anyway, this shit is dope af.

Track 8: Boredom Feat. Rex Orange County & Anna of the North

This was the third single released for this album. I haven’t heard it yet tho. Jeeeesuus. Bruh. Sonically this album is just gorgeous. This Rex Orange County guy has a great voice. I don’t think his vocals are gonna blow anyone away, but his voice just works with this soft production really well. The hook is awesome. Fuuuck. This production is incredible. Wooow… Bruh… I just got SUPER sidetracked. I just caught myself watching a video in which Ninja of Die Antwoord tells a story about himself playing basketball with Kanye West & Drake, and I was like “…what the fuck am I doing right now?” I don’t even fucking remember how I got to that video. It was cool tho. I mean, it was basically just Charlie Murphy’s Prince story, except instead of having pancakes after, they had banana pudding. Lemme get back to this song. I’m just gonna go ahead and restart it… Okay, this first verse from Tyler is nice. It’s sadly all too relatable for me.

Aside from the homosexual implications, that’s pretty much exactly how I feel most of the time. Man… This might be my favorite track on the album so far. I think I like this even more than See You Again. It’s definitely the most relatable track so far. He’s literally rapping about having no friends. I have friends, but I don’t feel like I do. That’s one of the symptoms of my depression. I don’t know if other people who’re depressed have this problem, but I always feel like I’m alone even when I’m with my friends. This is one of the most relatable songs I’ve heard in a long time. I think this track is amazing honestly.

Track 9: Ain’t Got Time

The transition from the previous track into this one was crazy. Uh oh… Oh fuckin’ shit… OOOHHH.

THIS BEAT IS HARD AS FUUUUCK. Where have I heard this sample before? Fuck this is gonna drive me nuts… I know what the original sample is, but I can’t remember what other song flipped it first. Fuck… If anyone knows please let me know. Anyway, the hook is great. I’m not sure who he was taking shots at in the first verse, but it was dope.

Them little shots that you threw, they ain’t hurt me / I ain’t fuck with your bitch ass in the first place.

Who threw shots at Tyler? I know Hopsin did, but that was like 40 years ago, and nobody gives a shit about Hopsin anyway. Actually… Maybe this IS a Hopsin diss. It kinda makes sense. Holy shitfuck. The way the beat switches up in the middle of the second verse is amazing. How the fuck am I gonna pick a favorite song from this album? Jesus… Okay, this is the song that contains that infamous line about kissing white boys. Honestly… I don’t really have anything to say about that. I don’t really give a shit. Am I supposed to care about Tyler’s sexuality? I get that it’s a big deal for such a popular black male rapper to be openly bisexual, but it’s not really something I have enough interest in to comment on. Gotdamn. He fuckin’ slaughtered that second verse. This is another phenomenal track. It’s dope af.

Track 10: 911 / Mr. Lonely Feat. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy

This was the second single from the album, and it’s the only song other than Who Dat Boy that I’d heard before starting this review. The beat is smoooother than a MOTHERfucker, and I really like the way Tyler’s amateurish vocals sound over it on the intro. I love his flow on this first verse too. The hook is dope af, and Steve Lacy’s bridge is fantastic too. I forgot how much I liked this song. It sounds even better in the context of the album. Frank’s verse was amazing, and the way Tyler ended it is, again, super relatable.

I’m the loneliest man alive / But I keep on dancing to throw ’em off / I’m gon’ run out of moves ’cause I can’t groove to the blues.

This is where 911 transitions into Mr. Lonely, which I like even more. The beat is incredible, and Tyler’s flow is really fuckin’ dope too. Mr. Lonely is just one long ass verse, and he fuckin’ killed it.

They say the loudest in the room is weak / That’s what they assume, but I disagree / I say the loudest in the room / Is prolly the loneliest one in the room; that’s me.

This line is the most relatable shit I’ve ever heard. I’m an annoying douchebag who always gets in trouble for blurting out dumb shit in class. A lot of people just think I’m super funny and outgoing, but it’s really just me overcompensating and seeking attention for my loneliness. Fuuuck. Okay, THIS might be my favorite track on the album so far. Lmao. I swear this album just keeps getting better and better. Mr. Lonely is literally my life. I love this song.

Track 11: Droppin’ Seeds Feat. Lil Wayne

It’s gonna be interesting to hear Wayne over this jazzy production. This beat is dope af. This song is exactly one minute long, and it just ended. It’s great. It might not seem like it, but Lil Wayne is actually a perfect fit for this album. His style just works really well with the flower theme of this project. There were a ton of references to him spreading his “seed,” money growing on trees, and putting his “bud” in blunts. He killed this shit. When it comes to Wayne, you never really know if you’re gonna get one of the worst verses of the year, or a surprisingly dope one, and thankfully in the case of this track, we got the latter. This track feels like an interlude more than a full song due to it’s short length, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. This shit is dope af to me.

Track 12: November

HOLY… Jeesuuuuuuuuus. The proDUCTION. Dawg… This beat is unbelievable. The uncredited vocals from Kilo Kish on the intro were great too. I love how sad the production sounds. The first verse was dope af. I love this hook too. Basically, “November” represents a time in Tyler’s life where he was truly happy, and felt like everything was okay. He has a bunch of audio clips of people saying what their “November” was. I think mine was January of this year. That was a great month for me, but it backfired on January 31st, which is when everything started going downhill fast. January 31st to March 17th was probably the worst period of my life ever. Well, March 17th was the worst day, but it didn’t really start getting better until the beginning of April honestly. Even that month was pretty shitty tho. If January was a 10 and March 17th was a 0, I’d say I’m probably at a 4 right now. Anyway, I really like the bridge, but BRUUUUUH. THAT FINAL VERSE IS ME. THAT VERSE LITERALLY FEELS LIKE IT WAS WRITTEN FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. FUUUCK.

Smh… Anyway, this is ANOTHER favorite of mine. I think this song is perfect. It’s dope af.

Track 13: Glitter

Dude… Fuck… This shit is me… The whole second half of this album is one of the most relatable song stretches I’ve ever heard. Except Ain’t Got Time & Droppin’ Seeds. Fuuuuuuuck.

You’ve been on my mind / I’m losing my mind / Because I hope that we can be more than just friends / You light my firework; I feel like glitter / And every time you come around, I feel like glitter / You’re the one that I needed in my life / You’re the one that I need to give my time.

Smh… This is amazing. His flow on this first verse is awesome. I’ve never heard him rap like this before. This song is literally me when I fell in love. Dude… The way the song switches up after the second recital of the hook… It’s almost like this song was literally written about my year. The beat slows down, and the entire mood of the song changes from excitement and happiness to disappointment and sorrow.

Look at my face, look at that joy / This is one sided, yeah, I can’t lie / We ain’t gon’ work out, we a fat boy.

The way this song ends is incredible. Jesus. Lmao. This shit hits home way too hard. Smh. Anyway, you already know I love this song. It’s dope af.

Track 14: Enjoy Right Now, Today

This is just an instrumental outro. As you probably could’ve gathered from the title, it’s a very positive sounding track. It’s another amazing beat. There are some additional vocals from Pharrell. This is dope af.

Final Thoughts:

This album is fucking incredible. This is my new album of the year. It’s not just my favorite Hip Hop album so far. It’s my favorite project of 2017 period. It’s a damn near perfect album in my opinion. It contains the best production I’ve heard this year, and while it may not have Tyler ripping beats apart like Kendrick on DAMN. or Royce on The Bar Exam 4, there’s something to be said about the emotions Tyler is able to elicit from me by just putting together songs that I can relate to so closely. I can already tell, this is gonna go down as one of those albums that I consistently listen to for the rest of my life, much like Because the Internet. I think it’s pretty clear from my comments about each track why I love it so much. The production is orgasmic, and damn near every song reflects an emotion or experience that I’ve had in the most recent period of my life. Before listening to this album, I kept hearing a ton of people talk about how Tyler is super depressed and how he needs to get help. I didn’t really find it as disturbing and worrisome as a lot of people seemed to tho. I guess that’s probably because I feel the same way Tyler does. This is gonna be one of those projects that helps me struggle through my next mental breakdown. This album is brilliant.

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Published by OG Nick Marsh

I am not a music expert. My reviews are completely subjective and should not sway anyone’s opinion on any musical project. I don’t grade albums based on how “good” they are objectively. The score they receive depends on how much I enjoy them personally.
View all posts by OG Nick Marsh

Glad you see you loved this tape as much as I did, if not even more. I find it very hard to compare this to Wolf, since it’s so different, but I’m torn between the two when it comes to choosing my favorite Tyler project. This project is everything that CHERRY BOMB did wrong, but done right. One of my favorite tapes of the year so far.

true that. I think this is my favourite album of 2017. as much as I liked All Amerikkan Bada$$ and DAMN. this album was better for me. I loved how he says these small lines but they mean so much. Like the one about wanting to help people but they dont want to improve themselves. So do you keep trying to help them? or do you focus on yourself?
Its a very deep album probably his best. the production was insane.
I did a post myself recently about it. Check it outhttps://millennialstateblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/27/a-lone-wolf-amongst-sheep/

The sample on “Ain’t Got No Time” is the introduction to “The Art Of Belly Dancing” (1969).

This is Tyler’s best project, particularly with the all the buzz heading in to it. He really went back to the drawing board after Cherry Bomb and I guess really dug deep within himself to express his own truth, which may make some uncomfortable (I really don’t understand why us minorities are so homophobic, you’d think we really be accepting).

He really let himself get exposed here instead of hiding behind corny gimmicks or dumb ass concepts, I feel like people will talk about this project for years to come.

I give this project a 10/10.

(Strayshot’s/Sidenotes): As you well know I loathe the artist Hopsin has become, so anytime somebody disses dude I’m all for it! (Especially if the artist is as equally corny; looking at you Jokerr).

An FB associate of mine who happens to work at Def Jam recently wrote that apparently it hasn’t been a secret within the Industry that Tyler is Bi….